From the very first day I started my new position in downtown Omaha, I found myself walking past Harley's Barber Shop located at the entrance of the First National Bank main tower. Each day that I walked by this shop I'd see a little barber dude whom I later learned was named "Mike" and was known for his long grayish-white hair and pony tail, focused on cutting some random person's hair or chatting with a customer. I thought, How cool for this guy to have his own shop right smack in the middle of Omaha's business district with a steady stream of clientele keeping him in business? But then, out of the blue, Mike was no more. Shockingly after 6 months of seeing this guy so dedicatedly keeping himself in business, a notification appeared on the door of his shop simply stating he'd passed away. And that was it - no more Mike.

So now as I walk by Harley's quiet, lonely, and just plain dead shop I'm left with the realization of how suddenly and unexpectedly we can flat out leave the planet. Life over and done.

Hey, Bucket List?  Let's go.

Got me some nice shots of downtown Omaha during the lunch hour, perfect reminder of why getting out of the office has benefits on gorgeous spring days. Also scored 2K+ steps in the process, so there's that too. Go, me. *w00t*
(click photos to enlarge)

Despite the fact that I got doused in the face with holy water by an overzealous deacon sending out a personal Mother's Day blessing during mass tonight, everything appears to be coming up roses at the homestead as evidenced by this gorgeous bouquet of stargazer lilies, roses, and crocuses perched on the dining room table.  Total reminder of why I look forward to this holiday every year - minus the face dousing, that is.

With tonight being the official move-OUT date of the oldest and move-BACK-IN date of the youngest, Half-Empty Nest is the new family status. So I'm calling this a SUCCESS on everyone's part and popping open a bottle of my favorite white wine in celebration of the aforementioned events, because after all of the laundry-doing and box-unpacking today, red wine will just give me a big headache and make me fall asleep before finishing tonight's Netflix repeat of Friends.